A human being’s invincible spirit and willpower has risen above his physical injury.

Lee Seung-hoon has become a four-time gold medalist in Sapporo, despite an injury to his right calf that the skater sustained when he slipped and cut himself on his own skate blade during the men’s team pursuit race at the ISU World Single Distances Speed Skating Championships on home ice in Gangneung, Gangwon-do Province, on Feb. 10.

The injury, which required eight stitches, didn’t stop him from clinching a fourth gold medal in Sapporo on Feb. 23. Lee finished in first place in the men’s speed skating mass start race in the Obihiro Forest Speed Skating Oval in Hokkaido. The short track skater turned speed skater switched between both skating disciplines at his whim, and turned the game around as he took the lead in the final 16th lap. Lee logged in with a time of 8:12.72, putting all 10 other racers behind him.

He also won three previous races in a row: the men’s 5,000-meter, 10,000-meter and team pursuit. Lee has become the first-ever Korean athlete to claim four medals at an Asian Winter Games.



The skater said, “The injury put me in severe pain for about three days. At that time, I thought I should not take part in the Asian Games. As the pain died down, however, I decided to be part of it and, surprisingly, I got good results, which surely helped me regain my confidence.”

He said he attributed his victory in Sapporo to “younger athletes who performed well and kept in perfect tune with me in the races. I could win today’s medal in the mass start only thanks to the sacrifices that Lee Jin-yeoung and Kim Min-seok had made. I realized once again that nothing is more important than good teamwork.”

Lee’s attention is now focusing on Pyeongchang, Gangwon-do Province, the host city of the Olympic Winter Games next year. With the Olympic Games just under one year away, Lee said, “I will take the confidence that I’ve gained today straight to the PyeongChang Winter Games.”

“The upcoming PyeongChang Olympic Games will have many European athletes, and I'll show there that I'm not an easy target,” he said. “I feel so proud of myself winning four consecutive gold medals at the Asian Winter Games, but I won’t stop here and I'll continue to strive in Pyeongchang next year. I want to remain as a champion until I reach the end of my career as an athlete. I want to be an Asian athlete who leaves unparalleled marks in history.”





More medals came in the men’s 1,500-meter speed skating race, where Kim Min-seok finished with a time of 1:46.26, setting a new Asian record. He continued to clinch a bronze medal in the men’s mass start, where Lee Seung-hoon triumphed. Prior to the race, Kim won the men’s team pursuit race along with Lee, becoming a two-time gold medalist at an Asian Winter Games.

In the ladies’ speed skating mass start, Kim Bo-reum added a bronze medal after she fell behind Takagi Miho (高木美帆) and Sato Ayano (佐藤綾乃) of Japan.

Alpine skier Kang Young-seo, too, took home bronze in the ladies giant slalom competition at the Sapporo Teine. Kang actually finished her race in fourth place with a time of 2:32.35 after two runs, with three Japanese skiers finishing ahead of her. However, she moved up to bronze under the competition medal policy that prevents a podium swept by one nation.

Finally, cross-country skier Kim Magnus earned a silver medal in the men’s 10-km classical race at the Shirahatayama Open Stadium in Sapporo, logging in with a time of 25:32.5.

By Sohn JiAe
Korea.net Staff Writer
Photos: Yonhap News
jiae5853@korea.kr